ChromeOS

Acer is trying to be a trailblazer in the Chromebook market by launching the Chromebook C720. While Chromebooks don't usually inspire awe and wonder, this one just might. This Acer Chromebook boasts of being the first to come with a 4th generation, meaning Haswell, Intel Core i3 CPU, bringing speed and performance to this usually underpowered device line.

It’s just 126 days until Google I/O 2014, the company’s annual developers conference that’ll once again be taking place at Moscone West (aka the Moscone Center) in San Francisco, California. This event will be largely the same as in past years with a similar setup and subject matter - as far as we know - while the sign-up process will be entirely different.

Google is developing Chrome apps support for iOS and Android. Chrome apps are Web apps that operate independently and offline. They use HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS, as well as Chrome-branded APIs. Currently, Chrome apps are only available for the desktop. But by January they may also be available for mobile devices, if The Next Web's findings today are any indication.

Google announced the Chromebook Pixel late last month, and said that it will begin shipping sometime next month, but no specific release date was disclosed. However, the LTE model of the new laptop looks to have a solid ship date of April 8, according to the product listing on the Google Play store. The entry level model still has yet to display a ship date, however.

Back in November, we took a look at Acer's $199 C7 Chromebook, which featured entry-level specs that were great for the everyday internet surfer and email checker on a budget, but Acer today announced an updated model that comes with some faster hardware. However, the price tag also saw a bump this time around as well.

We heard rumors about the Chromebook Pixel earlier this month in the form of a pretty big leak. While many of us were skeptical, it seems that it was all quite true. Google officially announced the Chromebook Pixel today, with pre-orders starting right now. The laptop will begin shipping in April, and it'll cost you a pretty $1,299.

Just last week, we spotted a leak of HP's first Chromebook, and it was probably pretty embarrassing for them since they leaked it on their own website. However, it seems the new Chromebook has come earlier than the leak suggested anyway, with availability starting today instead of the rumored February 17 release date.

If you weren't sure if Google was ramping up their education efforts within the last few months, maybe this will confirm it for you. Google now has Chromebooks in 2,000 schools globally, which is twice as many schools that had Chromebooks equipped from three months ago. It's not said how many Chromebooks have been handed out so far, but a high school in Florida, which recently joined the program, has 2,200 Chromebooks at its disposal.

While the Chromebook hasn’t taken off in quite the way Google expected it to, OEMs are still working on them. Samsung demoed a Chromebook at this year's IDF in Beijing that would have an “instant on” boot thanks to new Coreboot code, a Linux-based BIOS replacement that talks to the computers hardware. Why does Coreboot sound so familiar? Just last week there was news that Google added code to Coreboot for Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge processor support. Is that what was on display at IDF?

Currently Google’s line of Chromebooks use Intel’s Atom processor. Chrome OS might be lightweight, but the inclusion of an Atom processor led to sluggish performance in places. CNET reports that Google may be looking to use Intel’s Sandy Bridge processors, as well as the upcoming Ivy Bridge chips in future Chromebooks.